Well, it finally happened, my rusty 2008 130kmi ish(?) Prius has hit a real road bump, not just the two natural disasters & being ‘totaled’ twice, but the HV battery throwing codes & tagged as responsible for the inoperability of the car. So, since I’m far from anything, my latest theory is to do Everything; thus having a back up/work car. Buy the $1k online reconditioned battery (vs $2k new, vs remove original battery, drive 2.5h to a tech to diagnose & repair) & DIY w/ postage paid core return. AND find a low mileage PiP that hasn’t put up w/ the painfully hot steamy summers & freezing winters this poor Gen2 traction battery has endured until recently. But which year? First model year notoriously has kinks that later get worked out; was this the case vs 2013-2015? I drive little (no favor to my Gen2 battery, a few mi/wk, filling tank 1/mo or 2mo), so the PiP would be almost entirely electric for me & added incentive for roof solar. Unless my thinking is flawed, I’m considering a low mileage PiP that’s been pampered in a mild climate its whole life (for battery & body) & dreaming of spending closer to $11k than $14k. Now is clearly the time, but since I live in the middle of the country (where it’s easier to find an e-85 truck), 2.5-3 hr from anywhere, it’s looking like (per AutoTrader) more & better options are available further away than easy driving distance, so… this looks to be considerably beyond my existing experience of 2 used cars from private owners inspected & purchased in person (my only 2 cars so far). Looks like that would tack on ~$1k in car transport if purchased sight unseen. And my little pea brain is thinking, go online to look up well-rated hybrid mechanics in the area & find someone willing/able to do the pre-purchase inspection & provide me a report? Ideas? Comments? Opinions? Advice? Look elsewhere? Anything? Bueller….
If I were you, I'd search for one that is a lower than normal price due to it's loss of EV range and then swap pack out with this one because it gets 30 miles of EV range: 2012 - 2015 Toyota Prius plug-in Lithium battery - NexPower Energy
Thanks! 10-12 mi will usually suffice for me, but when the battery fails, yes, I’d definitely look for an upgrade (& hopefully by then, prices will have dropped, as the tech won’t be quite so new)
they replaced the pistons and rings in the late '14's and '15's. supposed to help with the clogging egr and blown head gasket, but idk.
The piston ring revision was the only “kink work out”, happened at a certain VIN in model year 2014. EGR still clogs with carbon, and without periodic cleaning leads to head gasket failure around 150k miles on average. Inverters have a moderate failure rate, brake boosters similar. Electric water pumps (one for engine, another for inverter) have also proven failure prone, around 150k.
Scientific method, you’d need a survey. EGR carbon build-up could be accelerated by oil-burning, seems plausible. Still, our ‘10’s dipstick level has yet to budge between oil changes, but it was accumulating carbon. I cleaned it first around 45k miles, debatably “early”. Judging from cooler and intake manifold condition, by 150k miles it would have been about the usual mess.
Apropos of nothing, but VW TDI diesels in the 2000 timeframe like I had experienced EGR issues. Imagine recirculating diesel exaust...ugh. I recall 'EGR delete' pipes sold. Of course they would throw a code. Don't recall any cooler though; that would've been a real mess.
